When installing carpet and other floor coverings over the surface of a floor in a wall-to-wall manner, it is necessary to fasten one edge of the carpet at one wall and then to stretch the carpet at the opposite wall so as to secure the opposite edge of the carpet and cause the carpet to lie smoothly upon the floor.
Customarily, a device known as a "kicker" is used to stretch carpet wherein a block having carpet engaging pins in the bottom thereof is engaged in the carpet by the carpet installer who is on his hands and knees and is kicked by the knee of the installer towards the wall to stretch the carpet while installing the edge thereof at the wall. In using such a device, the carpet installer soon tires of the kicking procedure and uniform stretching of the carpet toward the wall cannot be provided. Other prior devices, such as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 651,924 and 913,545 have been developed for stretching carpet and the like over the floor surface to be installed wherein various forms of screw rod arrangements are provided to stretch the carpet.
It is not uncommon to attach the carpet to a floor mounted wood strip having upwardly extending tacks imbedded therein for engaging the carpet. The wood strip is spaced slightly away from the wall and none of the prior devices have been suitable for uniformly stretching and installing the carpet in this manner.